Sometime back in December, K60ST started the wheels turning for an ADV camping and riding weekend for May 2008. A similar ADV Big Bear gathering occured in 2007 (which was a blast) so the 2008 gig was destined to be a good time as well.

The plan was to meet at Serrano Camground in Big Bear Lakes California and spend May 16th to 18th (Friday to Sunday) riding in the local terrain.

Sooo.. lets get this ride report rollin! (FYI.. I'll have helmet cam video to post soon.. check back in the next few days after I have time to edit and post it)

I rolled into the campground with Ken late Thursday evening, met a few of the crew and setup camp for the weekend.

FocalLength (who was sharing the site) had already ridden up and had setup camp. (that's his black 650 on the right).

Friday Morning arrived (too early :huh ) and FocalLength and I headed over to the Grizzly Manor for some grub.

As always it was maximum grindage for minimum coin. This is the kind of meal that $6.50 gets you.

After grub we headed back to camp for the 9:30 ride lead by MrMike. The plan was to head out for an easy warm up ride out to Apple Valley and back.. a ballpark ride of 85 miles. The specific route was to head up 3N09 (van dusen Canyon), to 3N16 (Holcomb Valley Rd) and hang a left towards Big Pine Flats where we would turn right on 3N14 (coxley Rd) and follow it all the way to Apple Valley for lunch. After lunch we would double back.

Here's an image that shows the route for the day.

Everyone geared up and headed up Vandusen Canyon (3N09). The video below shows a bit of what this section looked like. (IF anyone can tell me how to imbed this video in the report instead of showing a link ... it would be much appreciated)

Somewhere on 3N14, something reached out and grabbed FocalLength's front end and he took a digger. Result was a solid hit to the body and head, some bent bars and a bike that was stuck in 3rd gear. FocalLength decided it was in his best interest to head back so he turned around and rode back to camp as we continued on to Apple Valley.

Just after FocalLength turned back we regrouped. While we were stopped Ken pointed down to my front tire and said "Hey.. you have a big screw in your tire.". I thought he was just messing with me but it turns out that I did have something in my tire.

Lucky for me the screw went through the tread and missed the side wall...we yanked the screw out and were back on the trail in a few minutes.

We continued down 3N14 where the terrain transitioned into a high desert landscape.

Here's a couple short videos showing more of the ride towards Apple Valley on 3n14.

By Noon we were in Apple Valley and ready for lunch. MrMike lead us over to La Fiesta where we all piled inside for some Mexican Food.

Gary and Rob gettin their order on.

From left to right T, John, MIke and Ken grubbin'

fter filling up with tacos and burritos we headed back towards Coxley Rd which would take us back towards Big Bear. Here's a shot of Pablo taking a minute to bow and worship his DR650.

Mr Mike sayin' hola.

A few minutes later I was following Ken and someone (who will remain nameless.... for now.... until I rat him out later ) passed Ken and I like we were standing still. Unfortunatley during this pass a rock was kicked up into the front of Ken's bike creating a very well ventilated front headlight.

We continued back on 3N14 turned left on 3N16 and followed it back to Holcomb Valley. HEre are a couple videos heading back towards Holcomb Valley

We all made it safely back to camp where we found FocalLength trying to work out what was keeping his bike stuck in 3rd Gear. Unfortunatley the source of the issue was not found and FocalLength's weekend of riding came to an end (FYI.. FocalLength went to great lengths to make sure not a drop of oil reached the ground during the open heart surgury on his bike)

The day came to a close with some great conversation and BS'ing around the camp fire. The night was capped off with T bustin' out some freestyle lyrics to the tune of "this land is your land" ..... which may or may not have been induced by a few drinks around the campfire.

Saturday morning ......I heard that K60ST had ridden back to camp the night before with no brakes on the rear of his bike. I headed over to his camp spot and found him working on his brakes.

Sure enough.. his brake pads had liberated themselves on the dirt ride up the day before leaving only the backing plates.

Resulting in a rotor with some pretty good gouges

20 feet from K60ST's campsite there was some work going on to replace a flat on a DR350. From what I understand the owner of the bike had flatted the day before while riding the dirt up to the campground. Rumor has it that after he flatted he somehow found a ride out and then called for reinforcements back at the camp to pick his bike up later that night.

At 9:00 we gathered up for a ride with all the troops. The plan was to split into two groups, each of which would be doing the same route. I headed out with first group of 21 riders, and the 2nd group headed out with steve (AKA K6OST) about 30 minutes later.

The ride plan for the day as to head up Polique canyon (2N09), and hang a left on 3N16 and follow it all the way down to Cactus Flats and Green Valley lake. We would then hang a right on hwy 18 and ride it down to where it intersects 1N09. From 1N09 we were going to head to 1N04 and follow it to Clarks Grade that would take us back up to Big Bear.

Here's a map of the days' ride.

So we headed out.... up Polique Canyon (2N09) and regrouped at 3N16.

We followed 3N16 for quite a while until we crossed a stream about 5 miles out of Cactus Flats.

OrangeHeart crossing the shallow stream

Ken

BionicBushWacker

StarChaser

MrMike

We took advantage of the shade and took a quick break.

Then continued on towards Green Valley lake. We regrouped at the pavement.

Somewhere along the way a few guys took a side route and someone ended up damaging a radiator. Riceless950 rode back to our group and let someone know of the situation and mentioned that that group would head back to the campground. We continued down to Hwy 18, hung a right and rode down to where it intersected 1N09

We headed down to 1N09 and hung a left.

By this time it was about 1:30 and it was freakin' hot hot hot. We stopped a few times along the way at stream crossings to cool down.

Somewhere along this stretch MrMike (who was kind enough to ride sweep on the ride) came to an intersection (where he should have run into another rider waiting for him) and ended up turning down a different trail. A while later at the next regroup spot we noticed his absence and headed back to find him. We did eventually run into him again. Apologies were said and Mike soldiered on.

A few more shots along the route...

It was now around 2:30 and the heat was really starting to hit the group pretty hard. A combination of heat and fatigue started to take its toll.

OrangeHeart had a close call crossing a rocky stream crossing but managed to avert a digger with some quick throttle control. BionicBushwacker also had a small spill a few minutes later.

We continued on towards Clarks grade

A few minutes Later just before a stream crossing Bionic Bushwacker's right foot peg became loose. A few quick turns with a wrench and he was ready to roll once again.

looks like a great week end in my stompin grounds wish I could of made it you guys looked hot..I bet a cold one at seven oaks (just past clarks grade) would of hit the spot
Great report , great picks Thanks

I'm with the second group which wasn't included in your report. I have some pics and will be posting them when I get home tonight.

Big Bear was the place to be last weekend. It was 105F at my house, when it was a cool 70F up there and freezing 40F in the middle of the night.

Since I rode up Friday night, only able to do the Sat ride, but manage to do a full day of riding on Sunday not by choice. Rich and I got lost on the way home, instead of doing a 15 mile short cut, we ended up discovering a nice trail 30 miles long. We were more concerned about our safety than having fun, it was hot, not sure how far our gas will last, and we didn't know how to get out of that place until a jeep showed up and gave us some directions.

I have some photos to add to the pile since Shleppy is doing such a good job with the report. Sorry I didn't get pictures of everyone on the Friday ride but I wasn't paying attention. Special thanks to Shleppy and another rider who's handle I didn't get/remember since they both kickstarted my bike when the battery went dead and I was too waisted to do it myself .
Here's a sample:
The link:http://Miniman.smugmug.com/gallery/4975962_CKCdY/1/298024791_pRn3S

First off, let's talk about my 640A. If not for this event, this bike will still be in pieces. I finished putting it together at 1AM Friday morning. With new suspensions, bearings, and valve adjustment, this bike run flawlessly off-road and highway! More bike than I can handle.

Those heavy scratches on the gas tank was caused by previous owner and a fellow inmate, all I did was smoothen them out on powdered dirt.

The other 640A belongs to Orangeheart. Both bikes were ridden very gently that weekend.

Saturday's ride briefing, Steve was pissed because not all want to follow him to the sissy trails. So he decided to break the group into 2 smaller groups (the men and the boys)

Steve is showing everyone the latest dance move that he learned watching the "Dancing with the Stars"

Waiting for the rest to show up. That bike in the foreground looks familiar, the rider must have some intentions to get in front of everyone for some photo ops! or ooooops I should say!

If you see this guy and his bike, go the other way. Don't be telling me that I didn't warn you.

Starchaser is better off riding than singing around the campfire! Don't quit your daytime job yet!

I don't recognize this rider, he must be one of the shy ones! Yes, it's hard to believe, but there are really still some shy FFs out there that weekend.

The inseparable duo (2old2race and luv2race) ready to thump again! Pablo heading the wrong direction, he was a little disoriented from the night before.

Orangeheart on his 640A with complementing KTM colored outfit

Lots of riders and a mix of bikes

Capt Sham and his sparkling 06 640A. He was lucky that Riceless wasn't in any mood for a shiny orange that day.

Oh crap! The carnage officially on its way! Notice his helmet is already scouring the vicinity!

The last time you'll see this KLR in this cherry condition!

Mr Mike riding sweep. Like someone said, being a sweep is noble................
ha ha ha , believe me I've done it for like 6 months and I have to clean my filter and change oil more frequent than the others!

After the "Men Group" took off, the boys are still prepping their bikes, Rich fixing his DR650, and the rider of that 950 in the background was still in his pajamas!

Where were we.. ah yes.. heading down 1N04 towards Clarks grade on the south side of Big Bear.

Before our group hit Clark's grade we were met by the 2nd group of riders lead by K60ST. As I mentioned earlier by this time in the day the heat was really starting to take it's toll and many riders were ready to call it a day.

Pablo (ESPI), Bob (2Old2Race), John(Luv2Race) and a few other riders headed off towards Clarks' grade and the rest of the combined group from the 1st and 2nd group rode on towards Clarks Grade on 1N04.

When the group eventually made our way to where we could either head up Clark's grade (1N54) or peel off to the right and hit the pavement towards Hwy 38 the majority of the group headed for the pavement. At this point we had been riding for almost 7 hrs and nice rolling paved road back to Big Bear sounded pretty good.

Starchaser, Ken, MrMike and I decided instead to stay on the dirt and head up Clark's Grade.

Here's Starchaser ready to hit the grade

About 1/2 mile up the grade we ran into a sign that indicated that there was a closed gate up ahead. We all wanted to ride up the grade back to Big Bear so we rolled the dice and decided to ride up the grade with the hope that the sign was incorrect.

The climb up the grade was a bit challenging particularly because of the heat and the fact that we had been riding for over 7 hours. Normally the climb would be a lot of fun but the fatigue that had set in made this last climb a bit more tiring than expected. The climb shifted from small rocks on a pretty good pitch, to sand, to more rocks.. back and forth for about 6 miles. Nothing too difficult but at the end of a long day we were ready for a break.

Here's MrMike getting rolling again after a quick break on Clarks' Grade

Eventually we reached the top of Clarks Grade where it intersected 2N10 high above Snow Summit ski resort on the south side of Big Bear. We were pretty beat at this point.

We hung a right on 2N10 and were rewarded with some incredible views and mellow rolling terrain among the pine trees for several miles.

Ken on 2N10

a couple of shots of me cruisin' on 2N10.

To the north were great views of Big Bear lake about 1500 ft below. To the south were equally stunning views of the still snow capped San Gregornio mountains

We folled 2N10 until it took us to moonridge and followed the pavement back to camp at around 5:30. Total tally for the day was just shy of 90 miles and 8 1/2 hrs of riding.

30 minutes after we arrived at camp we were treated to some tasty grub courtesy of a friend of John (Luv2Race). His buddy drove up and had enough beef, pork and chicken tacos to stuff as all to the brim.

After stuffing our faces for a while our energy was recharged and the B.S. around the campground started once again From left to right Ken, Moraflex, KLRRob and OrangeHeart.

The evening eventually transitioned into another round of hanging out around the campfire.

Ken, StarChaser, MrMIke and 2Old2Race chillin by the fire.

Sunday arrived and it was time for Ken and I to head back home... after stopping off at the Grizzly Manor for some breakfast.

We ran into MrMike, OrangeHeart and his wife Melody wrapping up their breakfast. (By the way, Scott was such a panzy ass that he didn't finish his pancake while his wife had no problem at all... what a wimp !!

As expected the grub was awesome ! Here is what a $3.50 pancake looks like.

We headed back home to 100+ degree temps.. yuck!

Had a great weekend with a great group of riders. Special thanks to Luv2Race, K60ST for setting up the logistics of the ride and the grub. Another thanks to MrMike for riding sweep for 7+ hours. When one rides sweep they really are sacrificing a of fun for the benefit of others. Hats of to you Mike.......

Steve, as promised, took as to the Bugs Bunny trail and officially declared the start of the carousel ride. Check out the bike and the bald rear tire, this got to be a real sissy ride!

The ride never really took off on time. Aside from the late start, slow pace, and now a broken clutch cable on Don's DR350. Good thing Rich has a spare for his DR650 which are not the same but with some wishful thinking, the guys went on and take the broken one off.

I would rather see Steve giving Don the ADV salute!

I get the feeling that Sito really wants to be a road side mechanic, so he rolled off his sleeve. With so much stretching and wrenching, he was able to make the wrong cable to work.

Here's a picture of a happy FF with a genuine smile. Yes Don, after striking out twice that weekend, we still like you!

A proof that the clutch is working, Don enjoying the noobie-friendly dirt

Mole on his legally plated and 50 state EPA compliant KLX250.

If not for this guy K60ST, we will never have the Big Bear Ride this year

From last year's terrible fire!

Even Steve thinks that riding sweep is noble ! Drew is the other Strommer.

And finally, the Strommers are showing off their rears!

We haven't been riding long and everyone already wanted a break!

Mole, Don (Jinx), Joel (h8chains) and Jim (Moraflex)

With our luck, we found another easy trail, roughly 20 miles long

For a while we pretended that we were on a challenging trail until we saw a golf cart

In less than half an hour, we took another break.

We noticed that the park ranger has been trailing us since the start of the ride. Do we look that suspicious???:eek1

The Stroms have arrived. You guys make h8chains look good!

Drew did good on his first time on dirt! Blinkers, mirrors, and windshield still intact after a minor spill.

Sito and his followers want to take a difficult trail, but the rest overwhlemingly made their minds up and pointed their bikes on the easy one.

They didn't have the choice and turned around and continued to lead the wimpy boys!

After being delayed for an hour, taking frequent breaks, and slower pace, the Group 2 caught up with some of the Group 1 riders at the gas station.

Some of the Group 2 riders

After this stop, my right knee starts hurting again, so I decided to ride back to the camp, also with the intention of stealing their beers and pee on their tents.

You won't see any more pictures from Group 2 since all the bastards are all too cheap to buy a digital camera and too embarrased to post their pics with their bad grammar and wrong spelling!

Here's MrMike getting rolling again after a quick break on Clarks' Grade

Actually this is a picture of Me after Schleppy helped me pick up my bike. I had made a bad choice on avoiding some rocks and ran up the side hill a little. 7 1/2 hours earlier I probably would have cleaned the little obstacle but not now. I didn't use enough gas and stalled the bike and did an Arte Johnson slow layover on the hill. When the guys came along they found me sitting on the hill next to the bike where I had landed waiting for help. Then of course the battery on the bike would not turn it over so Shleppy kicked it over for me (I couldn't!) and it fired up on two kicks. I could not shut it off again till we got back to camp. Without help I might have spent the night there :huh . Maybe not the right decision for me to continue when the others headed for pavement since I had long ago ran out of water and my back was hurting me, but we rode it out in the dirt and made it didn't we guys! I should recover in time for next year's event .

We noticed that the park ranger has been trailing us since the start of the ride. Do we look that suspicious???:eek1

After this stop, my right knee starts hurting again, so I decided to ride back to the camp, also with the intention of stealing their beers and pee on their tents.

You won't see any more pictures from Group 2 since all the bastards are all too cheap to buy a digital camera and too embarrased to post their pics with their bad grammar and wrong spelling! [/quote]

Wait just a minute...Seems to me that the Ranger was following us because of reports that some form of waste was being deposited on the forest service roads?
Could this digital photo reveal the culprit (on the right hand of "digital photo") after the ranger left?

Where's the video? It's tues. already. What's the hold up? Don't tell me you have a life or something? Sheesh....

Marty

Click to expand...

Life.. what's that :huh ?

Yeah.. It's hard to find time to rip the video and post it. It takes Freakin' forever to post a YouTube video. Takes about 40 minutes to upload 20 seconds of video... pain in the arse...

I actually did post some short video clips (nothing too exciting). If you revisit my original post of Friday's ride you will see a few extra bits of info with links to YouTube vids. I havn't found the time to grab any video from Saturday's ride yet

I actually have an hour of video from both Friday and Saturday but since it takes so freakin' long to upload the videos I'm just uploading 20 second clips. I'm a complete video virgin (with the exception of those videos I made in college:eek1 :eek1 :eek1 ... but lets not talk about that..I was young .. and needed the money..) I'm guessing I need to shrink down my video before uploading it.. Hell.. I dunno... I need to get a clue

for those of you who take the short bus to school ... and can't find the video links in my first post.. (or for those two lazy to go looking back through the post to find the video links ) here are the vid clips I have posted so far.